This show is like 'The Mentalist'. You have an emotionally scarred, extremely intelligent man, who has something that most TV characters don't: Maturity.James Badge Dale is perfect for the role, his 'poker face' shows the kind of raw and painful courage that required for suffering through a tragedy like he suffered.The maturity I talked about can be applied to the entire show. They are brutally straight forward about the story. This is how people act and react in the real world. Everyone has problems, but they keep up a brave face.The atmosphere of the show is well thought out. The entire Rubicon universe is plain and straightforward. No fancy, glittery anything. This is how it is in the real world.Even though it was cancelled after the first season, it doesn't matter. The show, like 'Awake', begs to be seen. I guarantee you, unless you're really NOT into the themes, you WILL come away thinking about every episode long after you've seen it.

This show was recommended by friends. For the love of a good spy thriller, conspiracy story and any type of detective show, I was in! After the first couple episodes, I was not drawn in like I wanted to be, but kept on with it. It is after all, only one season. (and now I know why.) About half way though the season, I couldn't believe they had "given away" so much information, I thought the finale would be a for sure spitfire.Although throughout the series, I could tell who was to trust and who not to trust. I knew there was something fishy with that artist girl, we all know the government has secrets, so what was the catch here? Certain characters, like Tanya for example, annoyed me to no end. There was so much focus on her, I figured she was in on something too and that's why she turned to drugs. No. she's just a drug addict who is confused and misguided.... how the hell did she get that job anyway? you have two phD's?? doubt that.The four leaf clover? Connect the dots? Terrorism? Nothing in the end was resolved and that's what made me dislike this entire season. Don't waste your time unless you are knew to spy thrillers. The Brits do it better in less amount of time.

A truly excellent series, splendid characters and actors particularly Michael Cristofer as the wonderfully eccentric Truxton Spangler and Arliss Howard as Kale Ingram. It was television drama at its best, the sort that needs one to concentrate on the dialogue. For me they got the pace spot on.Whilst initially I was disappointed that there was no second series, in retrospect it was right to bring the story to a close as it did. A second series would have undoubtedly lost its impetus and at least one vital character Certainly the best English language series of its kind so far this year.

Rubicon is a well-crafted & unique suspense show which ran for 13 episodes on AMC, who produced the show using a very talented cast (albeit character actors or relative unknowns) and production crew. It was filmed around NY City in gorgeous HD, with imaginative camera angles and a nifty soundtrack, reminiscent of the sounds from the George Clooney movie Syriana. Like Syriana, it involves wealthy powerful businessmen and intelligence officers forging events to suit their own ruthless agendas. Our eyes and ears belong to young Will Travers (James Badge Dale), a brilliant young intelligence analyst who is promoted to a supervisory role at a think-tank called API, after his mentor meets with a mysterious death. API is run by Truxton Spangler, an old hand at the 'intelligence' game, who seems to be well-connected with the decision makers in the American military. The eccentric Spangler is portrayed by Michael Cristofer, a skilled, veteran character actor. Sometimes, he looks like he will stab someone, and other times, he can be quite fatherly. But, after a couple of deaths, and other bizarre events, Will begins to suspect that Spangler and API have their own nefarious secrets to hide. Sorting those out, and NOT getting killed, drives the plot of the series.API's niche is that they compile data from various intelligence services and offer an independent, non-biased view to the US government of how to proceed. But could this information be manipulated to benefit an elite group? Will Travers comes to think so, and along the way, he is protected and assisted by the mysterious Cale Ingram, who seems to coordinate the various teams at API - teams deliberately kept separated so that the full picture is 'blurred' to the underlings. Cale is played by an old favourite of ours, Arliss Howard, an under-rated actor who shone in the 80's sleeper mystery-comedy, Plain Clothes. Howard can mix friendly interest with a menacing glint at the same time, making you wonder if he will buy lunch for Will, or toss him off a tall building. No one is sure whose side Cale is on--he might be a good guy, but you wouldn't want to face him in a high-stakes poker game anyway.Other characters are twitchy, complicated, and compelling - the actors are allowed to 'run' with their lines and characterization, showing that AMC wanted to put on a real display of craft-not another lame conspiracy show, or a CSI-type cutout with wooden acting and stories.My measurement of a TV show or movie usually begins with the dialogue, and, then, what the actors can do with their faces. Sparkling, unique dialogue is - oh my - a real art form. You hear it and you say, 'wow - was that ever cool - never heard it expressed like that before' - doesn't seem that hard to write. unless the Network is cutting corners. You will love the under-stated speech and compelling expressiveness of the characters in Rubicon.